Volkswagen crams 17-inch alloys into those wheel arches.

After giving its smallest car the GTI hot hatch treatment, VW is attempting to make the up! more desirable yet again by targeting a different crowd on the look for a more luxurious version. Taking inspiration from the 1982 Beetle “Special Bug,” the fancy city car can be had with an eye-catching Savana Gold paint contrasted by the shiny black alloy wheels as well as by the dark side mirror caps optionally available in silver.

Find out more about the up!:

Alternatively, the up! is available with a more restrained Black Pearl shade with the large 17-inch alloy wheels painted in the same aforementioned Savana Gold hue. Both have a grey body decal at the bottom of the doors with the “Special” lettering” in front of the rear wheels to highlight it’s far from being a standard model.

VW isn’t willing just yet to reveal images of the interior, but it does say the special up! comes as standard with a black roof liner, heated front seats, and ambient lighting, which is quite rare for an A-segment car. To spice things up, the folks from Wolfsburg have written the word “up!” on the aluminum door tread plates and will give customers the opportunity to have the dashpad and seat covers finished in the same striking Savana Gold color.

Orders are being taken already in Germany where the black model kicks off at €13,625 ($15,225) whereas the gold one is €150 ($167) more expensive. For those willing to pay more at first and then in the long run save money at the fuel pump, VW will sell the special up! with a 1.0 TGI engine from €16,600 ($18,550). For some reason, the thrifty version compatible with compressed natural gas can be had only in black.

Volkswagen is now taking advance orders for the new special up! inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle 'Special Bug' from 1982. The new special edition model adopts several of the original's details, making this latest addition to the up! family a truly eye-catching car. Prices for the special up! start in Germany from €13,625.

Volkswagen is offering the special edition model in two attractive colour combinations: firstly, in the image of the Beetle original, with exterior paintwork in black pearl combined with 17-inch alloys in sandstorm yellow. Secondly, Volkswagen is offering the special model in savanna gold with black 'polygon' alloy wheels. Both versions are emblazoned with 'special' on the vehicle exterior. As an additional contrast, the wing mirrors are finished in reflex silver or black.

Inside, too, the special up! has a number of highlights to offer. These include ambient lighting as standard, aluminium door tread plates sporting the word 'up!', heated seats and a black roof liner. The seat covers and dashpad are also available in savanna gold. The special up! in black pearl is priced from €13,625, while the version in savanna gold starts from €13,775.

In addition, the efficient eco special up!2 with sustainable natural gas drive system (in combination with the black pearl version only) enriches the model range. The city specialist, available as a two-door and four-door car, is powered by a modern natural gas engine. With average fuel consumption of just 2.9 kg of natural gas per 100 kilometres and correspondingly low CO2 emissions of 82 g/km, the 50 kW / 68 PS eco special up! achieves energy efficiency class 'A'. The eco special up! black pearl with 1.0 TGI engine and five-speed gearbox is available from a starting price of €16,600.